‘Demand’ discussed in House of Commons

On Tuesday 4th November MPs discussed the need to end the demand that fuels sex trafficking. The debate took place during Report Stage of the Modern Slavery Bill after Fiona Mactaggart MP and the Labour front bench tabled amendments relating to the Sex Buyer Law.

.@fionamacmp introduces her amendments in parl: This isn’t ‘work’, this is exploitation. We shd work to reduce this exploitation. #enddemand

The debate reflected growing recognition in parliament that in order to end the trafficking of women and girls in to prostitution the demand that underpins this trade has to be tackled. While the amendments were not voted through to the bill’s next stage, the significant cross-party support that they generated – in both Committee Stage and Report Stage – highlights the growing commitment in parliament to end demand for sexual exploitation.